Kira's Redemption

Woooo--

The piercing alarm set the already uneasy Archangel ablaze with tension.

[All hands to battle stations! All personnel, report to your combat positions immediately!]

[Repeat, all personnel, report to your combat positions immediately--]

The ship-wide broadcast blared with extreme urgency, causing Tolle and the others to look up in surprise.

A stir rippled through the other refugees as well.

Hasty footsteps echoed through the corridors.

The Earth Alliance soldiers, who had barely rested for a moment, scrambled toward their respective posts.

"Damn it, I was just in the head, what the hell!"

"Why again? Didn't they say we'd reach Artemis in two hours!"

"ZAFT is relentless!"

"..."

The soldiers, who had finally managed to catch a break, all rushed out of their newly assigned quarters, struggling to pull on their uniforms as they ran.

"Are we going to war? This ship..."

Tolle watched the panicked soldiers, a growing sense of unease taking root in his heart.

[Kira Yamato, please report to the Strike Gundam for standby!]

Hearing this broadcast, Miriallia quietly whispered to Tolle, "What do you think Kira will do?"

Sai stared blankly and muttered, "If that guy doesn't fight, things are going to get very troublesome..."

A flash of dissatisfaction crossed Flay Allster's eyes at these words.

The fact that they had to rely on a Coordinator to survive was truly infuriating.

However, thinking that it was just Coordinators killing each other, she felt that her irritation was perhaps not so hard to accept after all.

Seeing Tolle remain silent, Miriallia, having made up her mind, shook his arm: "Tolle, are we just going to sit here and let Kira protect us all by himself..."

In truth, Tolle had been thinking the same thing before she even spoke.

Especially as he looked at Miriallia's face...

"--Do what you can, to the best of your ability?"

The words of the young officer, Captain Flaga, kept circling in Tolle's mind.

Indeed, Kira was a Coordinator and possessed abilities far superior to his own; there were some things only he could accomplish.

But did that mean he had to bear everything alone?

Looking at Miriallia's face, Tolle stood up resolutely: "My strength may be insignificant, but there must be something I can do."

Scanning the faces of his companions, Tolle took a deep breath and said, "I'm going to help. Even if my strength is small, what about you guys?"

"Of course."

"I've been thinking the same thing for a while."

"We can't just let that guy Kira have all the glory."

Perhaps infected by Tolle's words, or perhaps because they had already made up their minds.

The group headed toward the Bridge together.

Inside the Bridge.

"Large heat signature detected! Range 200, Y3317, designation 02C, trajectory is zero displacement zero!"

"The flank? Same heading as us?"

Jackie's report sent a chill down the spines of everyone on the Bridge.

Being on the same trajectory meant the enemy had long since discovered their intentions, and the fact that they were only now moving meant they were fully prepared.

"But at this distance, it's a bit far..."

Badgiruel frowned to herself.

The enemy ship was sailing parallel to the Archangel's port side, but at such a distance, they could have easily remained in stealth.

"Target is moving at high speed, horizontal axis is about to overtake our ship!--Ship class confirmed! It's a Nazca-class!"

Katz Buskirk, the communications officer, reported the enemy warship's real-time data.

Mu's eyes narrowed upon hearing this: "Our intentions were completely calculated; the enemy is trying to get ahead and intercept us!"

"What about the Laurasia-class?"

Badgiruel asked urgently.

ZAFT space warships could be roughly divided into two categories.

The Nazca-class high-speed space warship and the Laurasia-class space frigate.

Among them, the Nazca-class high-speed space battleship is a vessel designed for special operations.

It is a cutting-edge high-speed combat ship developed by ZAFT to facilitate more effective Mobile Suit deployment, with a cruising speed that even slightly surpasses the Archangel.

Beyond its speed, a single Nazca-class ship can carry up to six Mobile Suits and is currently the only battleship equipped with linear catapults.

The linear catapult utilizes two rails extending from the ship's hull to electromagnetically accelerate Mobile Suits, thereby increasing launch speed. This design eliminates the need for dedicated launch runways, saving space and allowing for a more compact battleship.

It is fair to say that the Nazca-class is a highly efficient Mobile Suit carrier.

As for the Laurasia-class space frigate, it was designed from the outset to possess autonomous combat capabilities even in the absence of Mobile Suits.

Therefore, the Laurasia-class battleship possesses not only excellent Mobile Suit deployment capabilities but also high fleet combat proficiency.

Katz Buskirk operated his instruments in a panic, but the coordinates displayed on the screen made him lose control of his tone as he shouted, "...There is a moving heat source 300 units behind us... It is presumed to be a Laurasia-class!"

We have been pincered by two ships--

A silence filled with dread dominated the Bridge.

As Bridge crew, they were well aware of the consequences of being caught between two battleships—it was no exaggeration to say there was no way up to heaven and no door down to earth.

Just as the atmosphere grew stifling, Mu spoke up: "If we continue on this course, we will be caught by the Laurasia-class sooner or later... But if we engage the engines to accelerate and flee, the Nazca-class will surely turn around and catch up immediately--"

Murrue and Natarle were too stunned to speak.

The glimmer of hope that had just appeared was now completely shattered.

"Hey! Send the data for these two ships and the sector map to me."

Mu's voice brought the two female officers back to their senses.

"Do, do you have a plan?"

Murrue looked completely disheveled, a far cry from how a captain should appear.

Mu suppressed the panic rising in his own heart and teased with a smile: "--Of course I do, like waving a white flag and surrendering, for instance."

Seeing their expressions darken, Mu suddenly straightened his face and said: "But that is the final option, at least not until after my plan fails, right?"

"You have a way?"

Captain Murrue looked astonished.

"Of course, I am the Hawk of Endymion, known for making the impossible possible--"

Mu used a joking tone to steady his own inner anxiety.

Then, under their stunned gazes, he drifted away from his seat and said: "My plan is..."

At the same time.

Urged on by the broadcast, Kira walked slowly toward the hangar.

Though he had made a decision in his heart, he still felt hesitation and unease.

Why him? He did not want to fight at all.

It sounded ridiculous, but the Mobile Suits he had destroyed were piloted by living people—

Yet, he did not want to die.

But he did not want to kill, either.

Why must one kill the opponent to survive? Why did such an absurd thing exist, and why did it have to happen to him?

Why must he stain his hands with blood just to stay alive!

He wanted to scream and question it all, to break free from it.

But there was no room for hesitation or choice before him.

If he did not step up to fight, this ship would likely be sunk, and his companions, along with the other refugees and crew, would die.

Of course, he would not escape the fate of death either.

It was not to say that sortieing guaranteed victory, but if he did not fight, the possibility of survival would approach zero.

"Athrun..."

He thought of the name he had confirmed from Ino.

Yet every time he uttered the name, he felt an added pressure on his breathing.

But he had no choice; he could only drag his feet toward the hangar. With every step he took, he felt as if a noose around his neck were tightening, bringing a suffocating pain.

"Kira!"

As he reached a corner, Kira suddenly stopped.

Coming toward him were his classmates from Kato Squad.

"Tolle? You guys... why are you dressed like that?"

The classmates before him were all wearing the uniforms of the Earth Alliance Army.

"No choice, they said you have to wear a uniform to be on the Bridge," Tolle said nonchalantly.

Sai straightened his collar with a serious expression and explained to the still-bewildered Kira, "We want to help out with things on the ship, too. Isn't it understaffed? Besides, we're more familiar with operating machinery and computers than the average person."

"You guys—"

"Actually, the ZAFT uniforms look cooler. We don't even have rank insignia; we look so lame."

Tolle teased with a mocking grin, and Corporal Dalida, walking beside them, immediately scolded, "Stop being so picky! You're lucky to have anything to wear at all!"

Seeing Kira still standing there blankly, Tolle flashed him a grin. "We can't just let you be the only one fighting to protect us... We're going to help out, too."

Miriallia chimed in with a smile, "We're in this situation now, after all. We can contribute a little something..."

"...You guys..."

The sincerity of his friends warmed Kira's heart.

I wasn't alone after all.